Review Summary: Welcome to anger in audio form.
Rise Records has not exactly got the best rep around Sputnik or anywhere for that matter. The label is known for it's signing of chug and techno based metalcore bands which has been infamously labeled as "risecore." In 2011, the label signed Ohio metalcore band, The Plot In You. The band released their debut full-length, "First Born," under the label that same year. Fast forward two years later and their second album is now out. "Could You Watch Your Children Burn." A title that is enough to put the b00talz kidz in a euphoric state and make mothers everywhere wanna keep their children away from the album. The album has everything you could ask for. Pissed off lyrics, pissed off tones, sampled drums, and...an Austin Carlile diss song? (That's the vocalist from
Of Mice & Men in case you were unaware.)
The album opens up with the first single. "Premeditated" is a song about the murder of a rapist. I'm not for certain if it is the guy's girlfriend or daughter or what the hell he is suppose to be but he is not happy about this rapist and he's gonna make sure he gets what's coming to him. "Digging Your Grave" is the alleged Austin Carlile diss song which was confrimed by a tweet from TPIY's vocalist, Landon Tewers, although the reasoning behind it has yet to been mentioned. "Population Control" is about a guy the ***s everything that moves as highlighted by spoken lyrics. "Troll" is easily the best song on the album. The chorus is phenomenal and the riff is fast and grips you. "Shyann Wheeps" is easily the worst song on the album. The opening spoken lyrics will be enough to make you not want to listen. "Sober and Soulless" you may love or hate. It's a ballad sounding song which contrasts the pissed off vibe of the album very heavily. The album closes with "Glad You're Gone" which is another slower song with a tamborine in the chorus because a tamborine works in metalcore, apparantly.
The guitars can get boring but if you hate the guitars on "First Born", you may enjoy the guitars on this album. This album dropped the junz and chugs prominent on "First Born" and picked up more riffs. The bass is inaudible but to be honest, can you be shocked? Almost everything released through Rise Records that isn't produced by Joey Sturgis will have an inaudible bass track. The main puller for this album is the vocals. Landon's vocals have dramatically improved when compared to "First Born." The cleans are a lot rougher and are very natural compared to the over processed cleans of "First Born." His screams have more range to them instead of the one tone lows he used to use. My main complaint is the drum production. It is painfully obvious that the drums are sampled because it's missing almost any pan on the cymbals and the kick sounds like it is untouched and the snare has no different velocities (each hit is as hard as the last).
In conclusion, if you're into aggressive, pissed off metal, and you can stand SOME risecore, give this a listen.
_________________
PROS:
Vocals
Guitars (playing wise)
Lyrics
--------
CONS:
Guitars (tone wise)
Drums
Production overall
